Andrew Knowles and Sons Collieries War Memorial

The Andrew Knowles and Sons Collieries War Memorial is a First World War memorial built in 1919 by Sir Charles Archibald Nicholson for Andrew Knowles and Sons Ltd. It is made of buff Derbyshire sandstone and is prominently located in a memorial garden with stone walls, overlooking the site of some of the firm’s collieries.

The memorial faces south and features a roughly oval area, bordered at the back by a sandstone wall that includes inset slate plaques. The area is set with river cobbles and has a central stone-flagged section where a four-stepped base supports an ornamental cross.

The cross stands 8 feet high and has a square plinth with filled chamfers leading to an octagonal top, which rises to the foot of the shaft. The plinth is inscribed with the words "LEST WE FORGET." The shaft is octagonal and slightly tapering, featuring a fluted upper section with a tapered collar and roll moulding. The Greek cross at the top has octagonal arms with flared ends and short terminals.

The retaining wall is constructed of regularly coursed, quarry-faced stone, topped with channelled hog’s back copings, and steps down from the left. There are short, straight wings on both the left and right sides. The central section is flanked by square ashlar pillars. Above the narrow-coursed ashlar, there is a broad entablature course with a flat coping that bears the inscription: "THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY ANDREW KNOWLES AND SONS, LTD, TO THE MEMORY OF THE BRAVE MEN FROM THEIR COLLIERIES WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY. A.D. 1914 – 1918."

Within the narrow-coursed ashlar, there are eight vertical slate plaques, each inscribed with 24 names, and below these, a central horizontal plaque with 20 names. The names of the Fallen are listed alphabetically by surname without ranks, and the same format applies to the additional last 24 names. The lettering is serifed and expressive.